Mental Illness Happy Hour

Dr. Feinblatt shares her experience as a therapist in working with co-dependent clients; how is co-dependency defined, what are some characteristics and how can it be treated or managed? She also shares about the importance of codependents learning about setting, enforcing and respecting boundaries. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp online counseling. To experience a free week go to www. Bet...

Paul's support group friend has led an astoundingly painful life especially in regard to his mother (schizophrenia, depression), father (workaholic, hoarder), and sister (drug addict). He describes his descent into drugs (crack), emotionally damaged women and violence before finding the key to understanding his behavior. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. To see if online counseling is right...

The comedian/storyteller (The Moth) shares about her whirlwind 86 day romance that led to a Vegas wedding to a man who soon turned into a man she didn't recognize, leaving her in fear for her life.  Jenna talks about her experience escaping from domestic violence and stalking, especially how family and friends reacted in terms of supporting her (or not).  She also shares about having to cut her me...

The comedic writer/performer and mental health advocate who started www.projecturok.org shares about the tremendous support she received from her family when depression anxiety and OCD had her close to suicide by age 10, and even more despondent from 15-17. Her story is a great example of parental support, the power of coping skills, and proof that even people from safe supportive homes with no tr...

For most of his life Mike has been wracked with shame and self-hatred, convinced he was the worst person ever and fantasizing about suicide when he was hospitalized at 15. He and Paul talk about where his self-hate may come from as well as his ADHD, emotionally sterile and achievement-focused childhood, body dysmorphia, cross-dressing, kink as a submissive male, and how he finally summoned the cou...

It wasn't until she began to literally pull chunks of her hair out she knew she might be battling something out of her control; postpartum depression. She talks about her battles with cyclical depression starting at an early age, being an only child with depressed, anxious and angry parents, not feeling seen or heard and being a high-bottom alcoholic who finally sobered up instead of self-medicati...

How does a family deal with its secrets? The PhD opens up about the inter-generational rage brewing beneath the surface of her extended family and the difficulty in trying to cope when favorites are played, a mother feels jealous of her daughter, trauma isn't discussed, emotions are stuffed and through depression a smile is mustered for the unsuspecting outside world. Patricia can be reached at he...

The 29 year-old trans woman dispels myths about what it means to be trans, including those she used to believe. She shares about hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery, the prejudice and stigma of "passing", feeling dysphoric growing up, coming out in her Indiana hometown and her upbringing by an overprotective mother, an absent father, an alcoholic and emotionally abusive stepfather. Follow...

Laura J. shares about contracting herpes by being date-raped and how she has navigated managing it logistically, sexually and emotionally with partners, including her husband. She was raised in an emotionally cold home by a psychiatrist father and image-obsessed mother. Her mother's response when Laura would say "I love you" has only ever been "thank you". Laura shares about having Bipolar 2, code...

Paul's fellow support group friend shares about the huge role fantasy has played in her struggle to accept life; especially her love addiction. She talks about being unable to watch lesbian films in moderation (she is a lesbian) and how the CPTSD from her physical (and emotional) trauma at birth and being raised in an emotionally stifled home (where success was the only thing that mattered) have m...

The co-host of YouTube's Pauly & Monks show shares about feeling unlovable, not being a good enough partner, trying to always "fix" other people, having to be an adult in his family at nine, learning to equate money with love and being rejected by relatives for being gay. Oh and his Bruce Willis-admiring grandfather shooting his grandmother.   Follow Pauly on Twitter @PaulyDavid and Instagram @Pau...

The Moth Grand Slam winner, standup and podcaster ( Hopefully We Don't Break Up ) shares about being raised by Italian immigrant parents who worried a lot and her "high school brain" that still worries about being left out or gossiped about. Follow Giulia on Twitter @GiuliaRozzi Visit her website www. GiuliaRozzi.com   Check out her podcast www. HopefullyWeDontBreakup.com   Follow her on Instagram...

35 year-old barista (and listener) Charlynn Schmiedt shares about having misophonia which is a "fight or flight" physical response to certain everyday sounds, such as gum chewing, throat clearing etc. and the complications and misunderstanding that arise out of having to interact with people who don't think it is a "real thing".  Charlynn also shares about having an eating disorder in her 20s as w...

The podcaster (RISK!) and sketch actor (The State) talks about learning to "own his weirdness".  From being a gay kid in a conservative town to being the black sheep in The State he has battled the paralysis and fear of not being perfect or even good enough.  He shares about his attempt at being a prostitute, the 12 year gap between The State ending and him starting Risk! and how he learned to fin...

The anxious only child of a drunk/rager mom and a passive dad shares about her family's combination of material wealth and emotional ignorance/poverty. She talks about her fear of "just being" instead of always "doing", including triathlons & rock climbing, her ongoing battles with disordered eating -especially binging- , her all-or-nothing thinking and struggles with intimacy while being married...

The 40 year-old public administrator talks about "losing her humanity" being assigned to work on a criminal defense unit on behalf of sexually violent predators and the anxiety, panic and breakdowns that followed.   She also talks about her chaotic and abusive upbringing which included her father molesting her brother, domestic violence and her coping by becoming a rescuer.   This episode is spons...

The writer and director of Inside Amy Schumer , co-creator of Chapelle's Show and standup comic ( 3 Mics coming soon on Netflix) talks about being one of ten kids raised by a violent alcoholic father and his struggles today with trusting his feelings and needs and dealing with his anger especially with partners.  He also talks about his relationship with Dave Chapelle and the conflicts and emotion...

The 30 year-old freelance journalist and Pilates teacher doesn't have anything dramatic to point to in her life, yet she has struggled to find her voice in life with bad relationships, eating disorders, depression, body dysmorphia, and intense fears of rejection and feeling excluded.  Paul and Amanda peel back the layers to try to find out what's underneath. To learn more about Amanda, go to www....

At 16 he was playing drums at CBGB and Max's Kansas City as the punk scene exploded. After destroying his career (Pianosaurus, King Missile) he got sober. The PsyD & MFT explains his extensive work with treating trauma victims (especially those with addictions) by using EMDR. He talks about the difficulty people have in calling what happened to them "trauma" and why the label isn't important.  He...

The 31 year-old ex-model (Vogue, Vanity Fair) discusses surviving incest by her mother (who was also an alcoholic with BiPolar and DID aka Multiple Personality Disorder) and a lifetime of battling eating disorders (binging, bulimia, anorexia), psychosis, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, depression, anxiety, alcoholism and drug and sex addiction. She reflects on the physical and emotional bottom that fina...

Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have produced and/or directed some of Paul's favorite documentaries, including Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures , 101 Rent Boys and Monica in Black & White . They sit down with Paul to talk about their newest film, Every Brilliant Thing which debuts on HBO Dec 26th and tackles the subject of finding joy in life's little things when we're surrounded by darkness.  P...

The 19 year-old college sophomore opens with a letter she wrote to her 16 year-old self who was so tired of the years of depression, anxiety self-hate, bullying, co-dependence, perfectionism, Crohn's Disease and feeling like a burden that she was on the verge of taking her life.  Her dad, Alan sits in on the session to occasionally share his perspective on her struggles, their family dynamics and...

The 25 year-old professional basketball player opens up to a live audience about mental health issues not only in his life (OCD, panic attacks and anxiety) but societally, especially in the NBA where he played and, and in the relationships between POC and police officers. Royce shares about being raised by a single mom in a culturally diverse extended family.   Check out Royce's mental health foun...

Author/life-coach April Adams clarifies what an "energy healer" actually does despite it sounding like new-age b.s.  She talks about techniques she has used to deal with her childhood trauma and heal others.  She opens up about her experiences with swinging, sexual fluidity, same-sex marriage, especially embracing her attraction to women fairly late in life. April's book is Essence: Ending Emptine...

The 34 year-old British writer/comedian/performer shares about the pain of her parents' nasty divorce when she was a kid, especially her father using her as a pawn and poisoning her mind about her mother. She also shares about her depression and only being turned on by men who treat her badly or are in some way unavailable. She talks about her struggle to not equate her self-worth with her career...